Nikki Haley loses Nevada primary to none of the above in brutal Republican primary blow

Nikki Haley has embarrassingly lost to ‘none of the above’ in an albeit symbolic Nevada primary vote.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has finished second to ‘none of the above’ in the Nevada primary.

Nikki Haley has suffered an embarrassing — though symbolic — defeat to “none of these candidates” in the Nevada presidential Republican primary while US President Joe Biden easily won on the Democrat side.

The Associated Press called the Democrat race on Tuesday night, with Mr Biden easily dispatching self-help author Marianne Williamson. Another Democrat challenger, Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips, wasn’t on the Nevada ballot.

Soon after, AP said Ms Haley had lost the GOP contest to a ballot choice that was seen as a sign of support for Donald Trump.

It was a stinging rebuke of the former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor — and one that some party leaders had encouraged. The outcome in Nevada was Ms Haley’s third consecutive loss in an early state primary contest.

Still, Ms Haley’s campaign indicated that the results wouldn’t affect how long she’d stay in the race.

“Even Donald Trump knows that when you play penny slots, the house wins. We didn’t bother to play a game rigged for Trump. We’re full steam ahead in South Carolina and beyond,” spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said.

Ms Haley’s fate represented a triumph for the former president, who is trying to shake off his last remaining opponent in the GOP nomination fight. Mr Trump chose not to participate in the primary, opting for the state’s Republican caucus on Thursday (Friday AEDT), in which all nominating delegates will be awarded.

Her campaign complained that Mr Trump’s allies in the state had “rigged” the process in his favor, by setting up the separate GOP caucus in which the state’s 26 delegates will be awarded. Ms Haley isn’t competing in the caucuses.

Ms Haley has vowed to fight on against former president Donald Trump, who holds a large lead in her home state of South Carolina.

Ms Haley has vowed to continue the race, but polls in her home state of South Carolina, which votes February 24, and other key states show Mr Trump with a large lead. His campaign hopes to secure the 1215 delegates needed to secure the nomination sometime next month, after a large group of states vote on Super Tuesday.

“Nevada is not and has never been our focus,” Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney said on Monday, nodding to Ms Haley’s strategy of doing well in South Carolina.

At a rally in Las Vegas Sunday, Mr Biden focused heavily on the economy, touting recent job gains, direct federal relief during the pandemic, and student debt relief.

“Donald Trump knows the economy we built is strong and getting stronger, ” Biden told the crowd of activists and labor supporters. “He knows that while it’s good for America, it’s bad for him politically.”

He also acknowledged that his economic message might not be reaching all voters. “We know, we have a lot more to do. Not everyone’s feeling the benefits of our investments and progress yet,” Mr Biden said, before noting that inflation in the US is now among the lowest of any major economy.

Mr Trump held a rally on January 27 and criticised Mr Biden’s handling of the southern border and “insane” promotion of electric vehicles, while boasting about his significant wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two nominating states. Mr Trump said his supporters shouldn’t waste time in the primary and instead caucus.

“We want to get a great beautiful mandate,” he said. “This November, we’re going to win the swing state of Nevada.”

The Wall Street Journal